Book Review

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Bruce G. Epperly is interim minister of Christ Reformed United Church of Christ in Cavetown, Maryland; director of the Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health; and author of three books including: God's Touch: Faith, Wholeness, and the Healing Miracles of Jesus. Early in this work, he writes of Christians: "We need an easily learned, relevant, and accessible form of spiritual practice that gives life to every aspect of faith. We need a spiritual practice that unites tradition and innovation, theology and practice, silence and action." He believes that the daily use of affirmations of faith taken from the scriptures can fulfill these needs and goals of an ever-evolving life in the Spirit.

Epperly has come up with 28 affirmations housed under the following sections: "God's Lively Providence," "The Power of Christ and Creative Transformation," "The Spirit and the Forms of Love," and "Healing and Wholeness in Life and Death." To help the reader get the most out of this spiritual discipline, the author matches each affirmation to a biblical passage, a meditation, a hymn, and three spiritual exercises  living by your affirmations, living by your imagination, and faith in action.

For example, "Nothing Can Separate Me from the Love of God" is an affirmation that can be used in any crisis situation or as ballast in the face of large and ferocious challenges. "I Am an Inspired Child of God" is the kind of positive self-talk that traditional believers need to repeat again and again for confidence when called upon to shoulder huge responsibilities.

"God's Energy Constantly Flows through Me" is a gem that provides a power punch for those dull days when you feel you've come down with a bad case of the blahs. "Nothing Is Unclean to Me" is a good antidote to the tendency we all have to set ourselves apart from others or from the unsavory aspects of life. We like "God's Presence Calms My Stress" as a way to combat what Larry Dossey calls the "hurry sickness" in our culture. Epperly's affirmations, visualizations, and actions can transform your mind and your behavior if practiced regularly as a joyous discipline.